REVIEW: thanks for the trouble, by tommy wallach

I received this book for free from Publisher, Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach
on February 23rd 2016
Pages: 368
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“I’ve got some questions for you. Was this story written about me?”

I shrugged.

“Yes or no?”

I shrugged again, finally earning a little scowl, which somehow made the girl even more pretty. It brought a bloom to her pale cheeks and made sharp shelves of her cheekbones.

“It’s very rude not to answer simple questions,” she said.

I gestured for my journal, but she still wouldn’t give it to me. So I took out my pen and wrote I can’t on my palm.

Then, in tiny letters below it, I finished the thought: Now don’t you feel like a jerk?

Parker Santé hasn’t spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he’ll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

THANKS FOR THE TROUBLE is light-heartedly intellectual.

i began THANKS FOR THE TROUBLE knowing little to nothing about the plot, nor did i read any other reviews. all i knew was that it had a nice cover, was fairly short, and was recently released. i think it’s better to go into this book knowing nothing, aside from the facts that 1) this book talks about people with disabilities, 2) and suicide/depression, and 3) it’s a strange contemporary-fantasy hybrid thing. BUT, that’s not reaaaaaally what the story is about; those are just triggers you should be aware of. this book talks about those things fairly lightly and i didn’t feel suffocated or weighed down by these topics.

the storyline wasn’t the main aspect of the novel; the whole book felt a bit like a series of blog post recaps, following the main character’s journey. however, this isn’t your normal character-driven book. it felt like i was living and breathing and experiencing everything through parker, our narrator. it’s also a little weird since parker isn’t always the narrator. there were chapters that were simply short stories, entirely unrelated to our main plot (but still somehow related). these were written in third-person POV but it still felt like parker was reading/telling to story to me. there’d also be chapters written in second-person POV and it still felt as if i were parker/with parker. (everything else was written in first-person.) in this way, i had a very strong connection to the narrator; he was part of the pages and i was following along with him, and in that sense, i was a part of him.

“Where there is no fear, there is no bravery.” (245)

the voice in the writing style is very prominent. do you ever read a book and know right from the first chapter that you’ll love the book? that’s how TFTT was for me because the writing speaks off the pages. this is probably why i connected with parker so well; it actually felt like he was talking to me. but the style was really unique because there were paragraphs that were so chill and there were paragraphs that were so thought provoking and metaphorical. it was enjoyable and relaxing to read, but it also made me THINK. i want to reread it, overanalyze these paragraphs and pages, fill the margins with notes, and THINK.

“Staying the same is a kind of death.” (186)

THANKS FOR THE TROUBLE is very special. i don’t think there will ever be a book out there even remotely similar to the plot or characters or writing or anything. yes, there will probably be parallels (magical girl comes in and sweeps boy off his feet), but that’s kinda where the similarities will end because this book is VERY STRANGE. but because of that, i liked it! the pacing was good; the characters were quirky; the themes were strong; the ending and overall impression left me feeling complete. i love this novel, and positive reviews always frustrate me because that’s all i can say. I REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK. it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly what i need.

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